WRAL Sports Fan

The Sports Network

DATE & TIME: Wednesday, January 23, 9 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Dean E. Smith Center (21,750) -- Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Television: ESPN. Home Record: Georgia Tech 8-2, UNC 8-1. Away Record: Georgia Tech 0-3, UNC 2-3. Neutral Record: Georgia Tech 2-1, UNC 2-1. Conference Record: Georgia Tech 0-4, UNC 2-2. Series Record: North Carolina leads, 61-24.

GAME NOTES: Still seeking their first conference win of the season, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets square off with the North Carolina Tar Heels in Atlantic Coast Conference action at the Smith Center on Wednesday.

Brian Gregory's second season at the helm in Atlanta has been a mixed bag. One of the youngest teams in the nation. Georgia Tech has shown flashes of strong play, but long stretches of futility as well. The team is currently in the midst of one of those skeins, having lost four straight games, all in- conference, including last week's 73-57 loss at Duke.

Roy Williams' Tar Heels have also experienced lulls this season, more than they have normally. UNC comes into this contest with a 12-5 overall mark. However, after losing its first two conference games, North Carolina has pulled even at 2-2 with back-to-back wins over Florida State (77-72) and most recently, Maryland (62-52).

North Carolina holds a 61-24 edge in the all-time series with Georgia Tech and is an impressive 21-4 in games played at the Smith Center.

Georgia Tech turned the ball over a costly 21 times and lacked the offensive firepower to overcome the miscues in a lopsided loss at Duke last time out. Freshman guard Chris Bolden led the Yellow Jackets with 20 points, but got little help elsewhere, as Mfon Udofia and Daniel Miller tied for second on the team with just nine points.

Scoring has certainly been problematic for Georgia Tech this season, as the team is averaging just 65.0 ppg on a mediocre .419 shooting. Freshman swingman Marcus Georges-Hunt boasts of the only double-digit average at this time at a mere 10.7 ppg. Yet another freshman in Robert Carter Jr. and a senior in Udofia are just outside the mark looking in at 9.9 ppg each.

The Tar Heels got a career-high 24 points from Reggie Bullock and a double- double from James Michael McAdoo (19 points, 11 rebounds), as the team was able to keep the Terrapins at arm's length en route to the victory in Chapel Hill this past weekend.

Despite a rather modest record to date, the Tar Heels remain a dangerous squad with above-average scoring prowess (78.6 ppg). McAdoo was tabbed as an All- American candidate coming into the season, but like his team, has had lulls throughout the campaign. The sophomore forward still leads the team in both scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg), but is also pacing the team in turnovers (51). Bullock and P.J. Hairston are valuable assets in the frontcourt as well, netting 14.1 and 11.8 ppg, respectively.

The Yellow Jackets have had serious problems on the road this year and won't find any relief in Chapel Hill.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: North Carolina 72, Georgia Tech 59